This is not Palo Santo. Nothing against that beautiful herb, but it doesn’t live here, and I realize I don’t even know what it looks like! A quick google search turns up almost exclusively pics of sticks for sale. So here’s the thing: we burn palo...

The flowers have all faded, the seeds scattered to the wind and to be swallowed by the ground; the moisture has evaporated and leaves burnt by the sun hang on by a mere thread before casting themselves off to die and become mulch and eventually new soil…

And still there are places where the pika squeak and thrive, where cold-loving evergreens reach toward the sky, where wild mountain waters run under stone through creases in alpine meadows… . . . …But even those pikas are threatened, so many of the trees have been lost to beetle-kill and other blight, and the waters are low, the snows shallow…

Enjoy this rollicking little video we made for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest this year! Whee…! Stay in touch... Sign up to receive occasional notes like these, as well as concert and workshop announcements pertinent to your region... Success! First Name Last...

If like me you’re feeling pretty wintry and less outwardly festive in this new year, may I recommend a good documentary for these dark days? I recently watched “Ken Burns: The West,” and WOW ~ heartbreaking and beautiful and intense! …to learn...